


How You Get the Girl

by JediFighterPilot2727



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV), wayhaught - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Break Up, F/F, Make Up, Tumblr Prompt, Wayhaught - Freeform, happy ending I promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-12 19:46:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7946794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JediFighterPilot2727/pseuds/JediFighterPilot2727
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tumblr Prompt Anon - Hey could you do a fic about nicole and waverly having like a big fight, breaking up, but then getting back together? Something with drama please?</p>
<p>So I sat on this one for a while because Wayhaught angst breaks my heart and I couldn't decide what would be a good fight for them, but then I heard the Taylor Swift song 'How You Get the Girl' the other day and everything just clicked! My Bechloe fan transplants will either love or hate that I'm bringing my sort of song fic style back for this one!</p>
            </blockquote>





	How You Get the Girl

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and critiques make my day!

It was almost impossible to see through the windshield of her truck. The wipers were in constant motion and when they weren’t blocking her field of vision, the barrage of rain was. The weatherman who had come over the radio a few minutes ago had called it a ‘torrential downpour’, and Nicole was inclined to agree with him. The random potholes scattered on the road were overflowing with muddy water and her tires had hydroplaned across the highway more times than she could count.

Only an idiot would be out in this mess.

Or a lovesick fool.

And Nicole was most certainly not an idiot.

As the rain fell and the thunder pounded around her, she couldn’t help but think about the last time she had been on this road. They were thoughts that she had been avoiding for the past six weeks, but once they had started going through her mind, she couldn’t stop them from replaying over and over and over. Her last moments with Waverly were not her best, and she had regretted them every day since, even if it took a while to admit it to herself.

It had all started when Waverly had been captured by Revenants. It wasn’t the first time, but it was certainly the scariest. The whole team had been a mess as they tried to stage a rescue. It was always hard to focus when the life of one of your own was on the line; and especially when it was Waverly, who was well loved by everyone.

Wynonna was the most sober that Nicole had ever seen her, claiming that she needed a clear head. Dolls was laser focused, even more so that usual. Doc had foregone all pretense of bravado and showmanship and had stuck to straight up sharpshooting, not even a hint of a smile cracking through his mustache.

Nicole?

Nicole had been a mess.

They had saved Waverly, just in the nick of time too, all of their skills coming together to save their beloved researcher. As soon as the last Revenant was sent back to hell, everyone snapped back to normal. Doc had cracked a joke, Dolls had given Waverly a hug, and Wynonna had pulled a bottle of whiskey from god knows where.

But Nicole hadn’t been able to shake the feeling of utter dread that had settled in her gut ever since she had heard Waverly was kidnapped. It wasn’t that it had happened, it was that it was probably going to happen _again_. The thought twisted her insides until it felt like a den of snakes had taken up residence where her intestines belonged.

She had dreamed of being a cop since she was a little girl, she knew from the beginning that she was going to get in all sorts of dangerous situations. She just hadn’t expected the girl she loved to be in danger too. The thought of Waverly in harm’s way made her want to give up all her dreams of saving the world. She would gladly become a hermit in the middle of nowhere if it meant Waverly would be safe.

She had thought about it all day.

Had thought about how much it hurt to have Waverly taken away from her like that.

Had though about how nice it would be to not have to worry about Revenants and demons and all of the other crazy shit that Purgatory had to offer.

Had thought about how nice it would be to just be her and Waverly, with normal problems and normal worries, and no curse hanging over their heads.

And so after her shift, she had sped her way up to the Earp homestead; brain running a hundred miles a minute through everything she could possibly say to try and get Waverly to run away with her. She had sprinted from her car to the front door, nearly running into Waverly as she scurried into the kitchen.

_“Nicole?"_

_“Wave! We gotta talk."_

_“About what? Are you okay? Is it Wynonna? Doc? Dolls?"_

_“Everyone is fine, I just - I needed to see you.”_

_“What’s going on?”_

_The look of confusion on Waverly’s face sent her to pacing._

_“I’ve been thinking."_

_“About?"_

_“Us."_

_“Us.” Waverly repeated, face falling. Nicole stopped, turning to pick her girlfriend up and set her on the counter as if trying to ensure that Waverly wouldn’t run away._

_“Not bad.” She began pacing again, stopping every few steps to look at her girlfriend._

_“Okay, I’m listening."_

_“I’ve just been thinking, ever since all this happened - with the Revenants and you getting kidnapped."_

_“About what?"_

_“I don’t know if I can do this."_

_“What?” She saw Waverly’s knuckles turn white where her fingers clenched the counter._

_“I don’t know if I can handle you almost getting killed again."_

_Realization dawned on Waverly’s features._

_“I’m fine, Nicole, I promise. Just a few scratches."_

_“But see, you could just as easily have been killed."_

_“Yeah, and you saved me, I’m fine."_

_“But what if I can’t save you next time? What if Wynonna can’t save you either? What if-"_

_“You know I was pretty close to escaping before you guys found me."_

_“Wave, you’re the smartest, most resourceful person I know, but what if one day it’s not enough? It would kill me if something happened to you."_

_“Well, we just need to be more careful then."_

_“You can’t guarantee that it’s never going to happen again, just like I can never guarantee that it would never happen to me.”_

_“Well, no, but that’s why we have each other - to get each other out of tight spots."_

_“I don’t - that’s not -"_

_“What are you trying to say, Nicole?"_

_She stopped, eyes locking on to Waverly’s._

_“Run away with me."_

_“What?!”_

_Well that wasn’t the response she had been hoping for._

_“Run away with me, let’s just get away from this place, as far as we can, no revenants, no curse, no kidnappings - just you and me."_

_“You want to just drop everything and run away."_

_“I don’t have to be a cop, I could be anything - you could be anything. We could travel the world, see everything you’ve ever wanted to see, all that stuff you read about in books, we could do it, Wave. You could go to school anywhere in the world, learn about anything. Whatever you want."_

_“You want me to leave Purgatory?"_

_“We could come back and visit, we could send postcards."_

_Waverly dropped down from the counter, anger lighting in her eyes._

_“I have spent most of my life trying to find a way to get rid of this damn curse and you just want me to drop everything?"_

_“I’m sure Wynonna and Dolls can use your research to end the curse, I’m sure -"_

_“Oh, so Wynonna and Dolls can solve the curse, but I can’t?!"_

_“That’s not what I’m saying!"_

_“Then what are you saying?"_

_“I don’t love Wynonna and Dolls! I don’t think about waking up every day next to them. Or having kids with them. Or growing old with them. And when they get put in danger, I don’t see all of that being ripped away from me."_

_“So just because you love me, it means that I should give up something I’ve worked my whole life for?!"_

_“That’s not what I meant!"_

_“I have to get rid of this curse!"_

_“Why do you care so much?! You’re not even an Earp!"_

_As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. She knew she shouldn’t have said them. She never meant to say them, they just spilled out._

_To be fair, she was still exhausted from the whole ordeal, and she really expected to be halfway on her way to some far away land by now. She had thought Waverly would love the idea of getting away. That she would jump in her arms and start babbling about some foreign country that she had always wanted to visit. Instead, her intentions had come out wrong and she had a very angry Waverly on her hands. And she had just said the words that she had told herself she would never say. She had seen the devastation that followed Waverly after Bobo had said those words and she had vowed to never bring that kind of heartache on the woman she loved._

_“Waverly, I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry I-"_

_“Get out."_

_Waverly’s eyes were as cold as her voice._

_“Wave, just-"_

_“I thought you were better! I thought you understood! I thought we had something special! I thought you could get over my family history but I guess not. I guess you’re just like the rest of them."_

_It was easier to be angry than it was sad. It was easier to take the white heat clenching at her throat and run with it than it was to let the despair of loosing the woman she loved overwhelm her._

_“Excuse me for not wanting to bury my girlfriend."_

_“You knew what you were signing up for!"_

_“Actually I didn’t! I thought you were a nice small town girl with a crazy sister! I didn’t realize you were crazy too!"_

_“Get out!” The words were screamed at her this time, and she didn’t argue; instead marching straight out the door without a glance backwards._

_She stormed towards her cruiser and threw herself inside, slamming the door behind her. The drive to town was a quick one, and she ran into the sheriff’s office before she had time to think._

_“Officer Haught, I thought you had went home for the day."_

_“Sir, I’d like to request a transfer.”_

The move had happened too fast, maybe if she had had a few days to think about it she would have changed her mind, would have realized that she was just acting in anger and that she needed to stop before she did some serious damage. But four counties over there was a town in desperate need of a new deputy, and two days later she was reporting for duty far outside the Ghost River Triangle.

She hadn’t talked to Waverly since.

No phone calls.

No texts.

No emails.

No messages by carrier pigeon.

Nothing.

Not one word.

Oh she’d thought about her, hadn’t been able to get the girl off her mind for more than a few minutes. And oh she had wanted to go back, to beg forgiveness. But she had pride. Stupid, stupid pride. Pride that said Waverly had just as much ability to contact her.

So she simmered and seethed, and let her anger grow. For six weeks, six weeks, she had done her best to forget about those brown eyes with a hint of green.

Until now.

And of course, the day she decided to go back to Purgatory was the day it decided to come a monsoon.

Her tuck slowed to a stop of its own accord, and she looked down at the dash only to see that the gas tank was empty. In her hurry to leave town, she must have forgotten to fill up.

Shit.

And she had forgotten her raincoat.

What horrible luck.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the flashlight from her floorboard and hopped out of the truck and shut the door quickly - just because she was going to get soaked, didn’t mean the inside of her truck did too.

Luckily, she wasn’t too far from the Earp homestead. It was a brisk thirty minute walk that would have been rather nice on a sunny day, but in the rainy night it was a bitch. Her shoes were soaked in minutes, socks sloshing in them miserably. Her hair was dripping on her face, and her clothes clung to her in ways that made it hard to move. The flashlight barely showed three feet in front of her, and while she didn’t think anything would be crazy enough to be out in this mess, but it didn’t stop her form jumping a little every time thunder clapped in her ears.

Finally, she was dragging herself up the front steps of the Earp house, banging on the door loud enough to wake the dead. It didn’t take long for the door to swing open and reveal Waverly’s shocked face.

“Nicole?!"

“In the flesh.” She tried to smile in spite of her chattering teeth, but she was sure she looked a mess.

“Are you crazy?!"

“Crazy about you."

Waverly stopped stock still, looking as if she was trying to decide whether to smack Nicole or kiss her.

She really hoped it would be the latter.

“Get inside, it’s pouring out there."

“Nah, just a sprinkle.” She shivered, and Waverly glared at her.

“Did you walk all the way here?"

“Truck -ran outta gas - bout two miles back."

“And you couldn’t sit and wait out the storm?"

“Had to see you."

“Six weeks of nothing and now you decide you have to see me?"

“Longest six weeks of my life."

Waverly studied her for a moment before pushing her toward the stairs.

“Go get changed while I start a fire, there’s some of your clothes in the bottom drawer."

She didn’t ask why Waverly had kept her clothes all these weeks, but she took it as a good sign and hurried up the stairs and into Waverly’s bedroom. She found the clothes as promised, and tossed on a Texas State sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants before jogging back downstairs, wet shoes in hand.

There was a fire roaring in the fireplace, and she propped her boots up to dry. Standing, she caught sight of a picture on the mantle.

It was of her and Waverly, the younger girl grinning ear to ear as Nicole pressed a kiss to her cheek. It was one of the many candids taken by Wynonna, and while she couldn’t remember when exactly it had been taken, she distinctly remembered the feeling she had had when it was taken - happy and loved and perfect. Everything had been perfect and she had fucked it up.

“Here you go, you looked like you could use a little Irish in your coffee."

She turned to see Waverly holding out a mug in her direction, and she took it gratefully.

“Thanks."

It was silent for a moment before she spoke up.

“You still have pictures of me around here."

An emotion flickered across Waverly’s face that she couldn’t quite place.

“Yeah, well turns out all my favorite memories have you in them."

“Wave, I’m so sorry -"

“You left! And you didn’t even bother to tell me where you were going! I thought we had a little fight! I thought it would all blow over in a few days but then Sheriff Nedley tells me you’ve transferred out and I go by your apartment and all your stuff is gone. You didn’t even say goodbye!"

“I was stupid."

“Yeah, you were."

“I acted on impulse, and by the time I realized what I had done, it was too late."

“You couldn’t even call?!"

“I was trying to forget you."

She had thought honesty would be the best policy, but the hurt that flashed across Waverly’s face almost made her regret it. But no, she needed to do this; it was her only chance at fixing things.

“I’ve wanted to be a cop since I was five. I wanted to be a badass cop with an equally badass girlfriend and we’d save the day together. Only I didn’t realize that putting myself in danger would mean that my girlfriend would be in danger too. And I didn’t realize how that would affect me. Having you get captured like that - it ruined me, Wave. It ruined me so much that I was willing to give up my whole dream just for you to be safe. Only I didn’t think about the fact that it would force you to give up your dream, of breaking the curse. And when you didn’t want to run away with me I got scared, scared that I would have to go through losing you again, and being sacred made me angry and I just ran. I ran as far as I could, trying to get away from you, trying to forget you.”

She reached out for Waverly’s mug and set them both on the mantle so that she could hold the other girl’s hands in her own.

“Do you know what I realized when I was running?"

“What?” Waverly’s voice was breathless on her face.

“I realized that it’s a scary world out there. And there are way worse demons than the Revenants inside the Ghost River Triangle. I would much rather live with the possibility of loosing you than the reality of never getting to have you in the first place."

Waverly’s face softened, hands squeezing Nicole’s like they were her only lifeline.

“When I heard about the police standoff with the bank robber this morning. I was afraid it was you."

“The only thing I could think about when he had that gun pointed at my head was you. How if I died that you would never know how I really felt. That you’d think I was a coward for running away."

“A criminal had you a gunpoint and you were worried about what I would think?"

“Out of all the things I’ve seen, I’ve never been more scared of anything than I am of you."

Waverly studied her for a long moment and she stayed silent, afraid to push Waverly away, trying to give her space to think.

“There are rules."

“What?"

“There are rules."

She still wasn’t exactly sure where this was going, but she knew the easiest way to figure it out was to let Waverly talk.

“Okay?"

“Number one: we talk about how we’re feeling, we don’t just let it build up. If you’re scared, tell me. _Before_ it turns into you thinking our only option is to skip town. Number two: we don’t fight dirty."

“I’m so sorry I said that, Waverly, I’ve never wanted to take anything back as I have the things I said that day. I will do anything to prove to you how sorry I am."

Waverly’s finger settled across her lips, silencing her apologies.

“Number three: we don’t take stupid risks, like spying on Revenants by ourselves or offering ourselves up as exchange for hostages at a bank robbery.”

Her last words held a bite, and Nicole hung her head in shame as Waverly continued.

“You think you’d be lost if something happened to me, I’d lose my shit if something happened to you. Wynonna had to practically tie me down to stop me from going to that bank to make sure it wasn’t you that pulled that harebrained scheme - imagine how I felt when I found out it really was."

“I wasn’t thinking."

“Damn right, you weren’t thinking."

Waverly’s eyes drifted to her lips, and she sucked in a breath.

“Are those all the rules?"

“Rule number four: don’t ever fucking leave me like that again.”

And then Waverly’s lips were crashing into hers, sending her brain into a tailspin.

They definitely had some issues to work out, a lot of talking to do. Nicole still had to go to the Sheriff tomorrow morning and beg for her old job back; but for tonight? This was enough.


End file.
